Lesson Plan

Since I am going for Secondary English Ed., I thought it was important to take the useful information in this class and apply it to my classroom.  The first thought that popped into my head was the whole creation of the avatar.  Too often on the first day of school teachers ask the students to tell the class things about them.  But why limit them to what they are when they can talk about what they want to be.  Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to have the students create their own avatar and explain why they did what they did.  For example, I would give them different characteristics, classes, and goals to choose from.  Or maybe I would let them make it up.  Either way, I would want them to create their ideal self or how they see themselves.  Although it is interesting to find out their hobbies, interests, and facts, I think it is even more important to see them through a lens that they create for you.  If a 8th grade boy creates an avatar that has the ability to be invisible because he likes to be alone, this shows me that he likes to be independent and that he is more of an introvert.  Everything they choose is for a reason and I think it would be exciting to see what exactly they choose.  Another thing I would like to try as a lesson plan is for each student to read a novel of their choice independently.  Instead of writing a paper on each book, why not let them create a graphic novel in 10 pages or less.  It would be a nice way to get students to summarize and give them boundaries and freedom at the same time.  They would pick out important quotes to use, they would create the mood and tone through their drawings, and they would be able to tell the story by effectively summarizing.  I don't think I would make this the only choice as a project; but I think it would definitely be a choice among several.  The last lesson that I thought of was doing video game journals that are similar to these blogs.  Those students who play video games would be asked to make journal entries when they play at home and hand them in every so often.  It is a good way to break up regular homework and it would be a good way to get them to become better writers.  I think it is important for teachers to look at their subject in different ways.  The most important thing that I learned in this class is to not be afraid to do something different.  I think that is sort of a life long lesson and hopefully I will not be afraid to try new lesson plans and techniques in my future classroom.